Lovesick
by Kyla45
Summary: Ichigo is sick, and Rukia ends up spending a lot of quality time with him. He's got a fever, the whole package, but could it be that he's really just lovesick? Oneshot. IXR


_Well. New obsession: Bleach, therefore, new obsession: Ichigo and Rukia pairing. This idea came to me, and I have been dying to see if it would do for a story. Anyway, enjoy! I apologize ahead of time for any OOCness._

* * *

**Lovesick**

Ichigo was walking with Rukia, in his death god form, soul slayer ready. Apparently a hollow had just appeared somewhere on the outskirts of the city. Their pace quickened as Rukia informed him the hollow was moving in to where houses were located.

Ichigo let out an exasperated sigh. He crouched down a little.

" You're too slow! Get on already, before that damn hollow causes trouble."

Rukia smacked him across the head before she climbed on his back. He straightened, holding on to her in a way that assured she wouldn't fall.

Once they were flying from rooftop to rooftop they were going at least ten times faster. In no time at all, they arrived on the scene.

As usual, an extremely ugly hollow was destroying anything it could get its hands on.

Ichigo set Rukia down, taking out his soul slayer with an annoyed look plastered on his face.

" Because of you my math homework is never gonna be finished!" he yelled before attacking the hollow. With the first swing of his soul slayer he hit where the aim was always placed, the middle of the mask.

With an ear shattering scream the hollow disappeared into thin air.

" Rukia," he said sheathing his sword. " Why do these hollows always have to appear late at night?"

She gave him a stern look, somewhat amused. " Don't complain Ichigo."

" Yeah, yeah," he slouched. " Let's just go home."

They took their time on the way back. Ichigo had never minded spending time with the former death god. Sure, sometimes they were down each other's throats, but in truth she was probably his closest friend.

He didn't like to think about it though, because then other feelings began to surface.

She smacked him across the head, breaking him out of his trance.

" Pay attention! You almost made me fall into the street!"

He glared. " So what?"

" You are so inconsiderate you know!" she yelled.

" Idiot," he muttered.

" What was that?"

He looked at her, putting on a mocking face. " I-di-ot!" he said harshly.

He watched her face for an expression, but the only one he saw was that of a sudden happiness.

" Ichigo, lean closer so I can kiss you, okay?"

" What?!" he half yelled as his face involuntarily turned red. " What the hell? You want to k-k-kiss...me?"

She rolled her eyes. " Well, this _is_ your dream. Everything that happens is part of your subconscious. You want to kiss me, but you'd never ask something like that. Since it's your dream, I'm doing things your subconscious wants me to. Even though this is only a dream. Anyway, lean over so I can kiss you. You're quite a lot taller than I am."

" Wait!" he said shoving his hands in front of him. " I want what? Subconscious? Rukia! You're not yourself! Get a grip!" he said this, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he wished she would force him into what she'd said she'd do.

" Ichigo," she said her voice taking on a melodic sound. " This is a _dream_."

Eyes wide, he watched as Rukia advanced to him. She took three steps but then she stopped short. A look of utter horror crossed her face, and then he watched, as if in slow motion, as she opened her mouth and screamed.

She was being taken away by a mixture of death gods and hollows, all smirking wickedly.

" Ichigo! Help me! Don't let them take me!" Rukia called out before they gagged her and all he was able to hear were choked cries.

He tried to run to her, but he couldn't move an inch. Slowly she was fading as her captors took her away, she screamed through the cloth gagging her, and he could see tears running down her face. He became angry, still running for his life, but never moving.

" Rukia! Rukia!" he called out, reaching his hand to the fading girl. _Don't leave me! Don't leave! Rukia! _

He took out his soul slayer, and slashed blindly at the invisible chains holding him down.

" RUKIA!"

He sat bolt upright in his bed. His heart pounding and a cold sweat on his back. His wide eyes slowly began to return to their original size. He looked around the dark room, and then the closet door that slowly opened.

Rukia came out rubbing her eyes.

" What?" she asked.

" ...What do you mean 'what'?" he asked, trying to sound normal. _That was one hell of a nightmare..._

Rukia stared at him disapprovingly. " You were calling out my name a whole bunch of times, well, more like yelling. But, I usually answer to my name, so, what do you want?"

He gulped. _Damn, sure was one hell of a nightmare. _" Nothing," he snorted. " Go back to bed idiot."

She huffed a couple of insults and then slammed the closet door.

" Good night!" he heard her shout from the closed door. She had over pronounced each syllable of each word.

_She's going to wake up the whole house!_ He thought as he pulled the covers over his shivering body. _Damn...it's so cold, did that old geezer turn down the heat?_

_-------------------------------------_

Ichigo woke up to the annoying buzz of his alarm clock. He moaned as he hit the snooze button. Why was it so loud this morning? His already throbbing head was put through more discomfort as a cheery Rukia bounced out of his closet.

" Ichigooo! Hurry up! You're going to be late for school if you don't get up right now!" She was already dressed in her uniform, and her hair was brushed.

He turned over to look at her, he found his vision was a little blurry and the world was spinning.

" When were you up?" he asked in a raspy voice.

" After you woke me up last night I couldn't sleep, so I got ready for school. I've been ready for a while, now you, hurry up!"

He groaned again as he lazily flung his legs to the side, sitting up so that his feet touched the floor. He felt a overwhelming dizziness. Stumbling to his feet, only in his boxers, a chill shook his body.

He put a hand to his head, stumbling slowly to the bathroom. He almost ran into the wall.

" Damn wall!" he yelled glaring daggers at what had almost knocked him over. Rukia watched this, taking note on his odd behavior. He looked horrible, his face was flushed and he didn't sound coherent at all, his speech was slow and slurred.

" Ichigo? Are you all right?"

" Yeah! I'm fine!" he said harshly. He picked up a shirt, barely managing to put it on. Grabbing his pants and the rest of his uniform he successfully made his way to the bathroom, still wobbly, but not bumping into any more walls.

After ten minutes he emerged, still looking as awful as he had before, the only difference was the fact that he now wore clothing.

" Let's go then..." he said.

" Aren't you going to eat anything?"

He made a face. " I'm not hungry."

Rukia was a little concerned at his extremely odd behavior, but, brushed it off.

_-------------------------------------_

Ichigo sat at his desk, which was across from Rukia's. The classroom was spinning and he felt horrible. He couldn't concentrate on anything the teacher was saying, and he resisted the urge to curl up in a ball. He was shivering like crazy, and was terribly cold.

" Kurosaki, would you mind answering the math equation on the board?"

He looked up, vaguely hearing his name, he didn't know what the teacher had said.

Ishida glanced at Ichigo, who looked oblivious. Ishida lifted his hand.

" The answer is fifty-eight," he said.

" Well, thank you Uryu. At least some people are able to answer a question." She glared slightly at Ichigo.

The teacher went back to drawing equations and formulas on the board. Ichigo rested his head in his arms, laying on the desk.

_-------------------------------------_

The day went by and he had received a couple remarks about his airy behavior, but he responded each time with a glare and either a 'I'm fine' routine, or a ' do you want to get a beating?'

Now the bell rang. The lunch bell, the students sat up, eager for the free time in which to see all their friends. Ichigo, however, hadn't even brought a lunch. He wasn't hungry though.

He sat up and wobbly walked to where Keigo, Chad and Mizuiro were located. They all gave him a small wave as he walked over. Keigo was the first to speak.

" Ichigo, are you all right? You've been acting like more of an idiot than usual."

" I'm fine," he replied tiredly, sinking down against the brick wall.

Just then Rukia, Inoue and Tatsuki walked over.

" Hey guys! We've come to join you!" Inoue said cheerily.

Keigo sat up, rushing over to Rukia. He took her hands in his own.

" My dear Rukia, would you like me to feed you your lunch?" he asked staring at her like a piece of meat. Ichigo felt something inside of him snap.

She smiled, using that annoyingly fake voice. " That's okay Keigo, I think I can manage on my own!"

" Oh, but, I wouldn't want my Rukia lifting even one finger!"

Keigo suddenly let go of Rukia's hands. He yelped a little. Ichigo had grabbed him by the shirt collar. He looked genuinely angry.

" Dammit Keigo! She's not _your_ Rukia! You damn idiot! Just try touching her again!" he yelled, before punching him straight in the face. Keigo was thrown back and landed on his bottom, looking terrified.

Ichigo ran as if to deliver more abuse, but was stopped by the combined force of Chad and Mizuiro. He still struggled, wanting nothing more than to beat Keigo to a pulp.

" Damn, Ichigo, what the hell is wrong with you?" Tatsuki asked.

Rukia stared at him. _What has gotten into you, Strawberry? _

Ichigo wasn't listening. His mind was swimming. He couldn't think straight. With his last effort, he shoved Mizuiro and Chad away, and walked toward the classes.

" It's a good thing it's Friday," Tatsuki muttered dryly.

_-------------------------------------_

By the end of the day Ichigo wasn't sure he would be able to stand up. He slowly made his way to the streets, using the wall to support him a little. Nothing was in focus. He faintly saw Rukia run next to him.

" Are you all right? It looks like you can hardly walk!"

He sighed. " Just leave me alone."

" Need some help?" she asked mockingly.

" No!" he barked. To prove he could stand on his own, he let his hand slip from the wall. He took a couple of steps forward, hardly able to move in that general direction. He felt so dizzy.

Rukia walked beside him, when the cell phone in her pocket began to ring.

" Ichigo," she said in a serious tone. " A hollow has appeared. It's not far." She slipped on her red glove and used her free hand to take his, dragging him into an alley.

She immediately knocked out his death god spirit and ran ahead to direct him where the hollow was.

" Hurry up Ichigo!" He ran after her, with great difficulty.

She stopped so suddenly that Ichigo ran into her.

" Uh.."

" There! Ichigo!"

" Alright, alright!"

As Rukia watched Ichigo fight, she thought back to when he had punched Keigo. It was odd then, his sudden rash actions towards Keigo, Inoue hah told her it was a little something called jealousy, then she started talking about things Rukia didn't understand. Something about a 'crush,' liking someone, and why people get jealous.

Ichigo's normal speed was much slower, and he was barely dodging the attacks the weak hollow was throwing at him. He would stumble and trip, and it looked like he could barely stand straight while holding his soul slayer. He lunged and the hollow dodged, in the process delivering a slash to his back.

Ichigo cursed and then faced the hollow, panting and bleeding from a previous wound he got just above his eye.

He swaggered a little and then steadied himself. Taking a running start he maneuvered as best he could around the attacks, and finally his soul slayer made contact just in the middle of the hollow's mask. It vanished, letting the orange-haired boy know his job was done.

" Ichigo!" Rukia ran over to him. " What happened? You were hardly able to beat that hollow!"

He turned to her, looking irritated. His face also displayed a hidden fatigue and weakness. Blood ran down into his eye, and he slowly lifted a hand to wipe at it. The blood didn't cease.

" Shut up," he said, wavering a little. His face suddenly took on a softer tone, and he closed his eyes. Just as Rukia was about to ask why, he fell forward. He collapsed into her shoulder, and she supported his weight and knelt down, resting his head on her lap.

Even when he was sleeping, the scowl rested on his face. With what little spirit power she had, she made the wound above his eye stop bleeding.

She looked down at Ichigo as he slept. He had been acting so unlike himself today, and now he was unable to hold his own in a battle against a weak hollow. This was the event that told her there was definitely something that wasn't right.

_What's wrong with you, Ichigo? _

_-------------------------------------_

Rukia had successfully brought the death god back to his body, although it had started raining. There was no way she was going to drag the unconscious Ichigo all the way to his house.

She laid him next to her, but was a little concerned when his shivering began to shake his entire body. He was sweating, and when she had touched him, his skin was burning hot.

It had hit her like a sharp punch to the stomach, he was sick, and he had a high fever.

The rain relentlessly pounded down, and Ichigo woke with a start. He felt he didn't have the strength to move.

" Ichigo! You're awake!" Rukia stood up and held out her hand. " C'mon, you need to get out of this rain."

As much as didn't want to take her hand, Ichigo was too tired to argue, much less stand on his own. He gripped her hand and was pulled up. He almost fell back down, but Rukia steadied him. She put one arm under his shoulder and walked with him until they came to his house.

Upon entering Ichigo fell in a heap on the kitchen floor. The whole house seemed dark.

Rukia inspected the counter. She spotted a piece of paper that looked purposely place. She picked it up and handed it to Ichigo.

Squinting he read the note- it was in his father's hand writing.

_Ichigo! _

_Yuzu, Karin and I have gone for the weekend for some father-daughter bonding. We'll be back Monday. Oh! One more thing, you didn't look too hot this morning, there's some medicine in the cabinet, I suggest you take some. You know how you can get when you're sick._

_See you Monday!_

_- Dad _

Ichigo could hardly make out the words, but after going over the note a couple times he understood.

He weakly sat up, his back still slightly bloody. He wobbly made his way across the kitchen.

" I'm going to...sleep." Trailing water as he went, shivering as if he were stranded in the arctic, his face distorted and tired, he looked like a mess.

" Ichigo, at least let me treat your wounds."

" No, I'm fine," he mumbled.

She huffed. " You stubborn idiot."

_-------------------------------------_

Ichigo fell onto his bed, still in his wet clothes. He closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep. He didn't even pull the covers over his freezing body.

Rukia entered his room, as far as she could tell, one of Ichigo's sisters had taken Kon on their trip.

She watched as he slept, breathing heavily and shivering.

She would never admit how worried she was. She didn't know why she hadn't realized he was sick before, but, she knew she had to do something.

She walked to his sleeping figure and gently placed a hand on his forehead. It was very hot.

She panicked, coming to the conclusion that his forehead had become even hotter now.

The first thing that came to mind was to cool him off. She ran to the bathroom and wet a face cloth. Next she laid it on his burning forehead. She pulled a chair next to his bed, and watched him intently. It was only when he turned his back to her that she remembered he had a wound there. Blood seeped through the clothing.

She wasted no time cleaning his wound and bandaging him up. Sometimes it amazed her how much of a deep sleeper he was.

Finally, after she felt that she had done all she could, she sat down and watched as his broad chest rose and fell in accordance with his breathing.

She sighed. Why in the hell was she getting so worked up? Why was she so worried?

She saw him stir, his usual scowl becoming softer, and a troubled expression etching its way into his features.

His hand tightened around the sheets.

" Ru...kia..." she heard him mumble. The troubled look on his face intensified. " Don't...don't lea..ve..."

" Ichigo? I'm not leaving, I'm not going _anywhere_," she said softly.

His eyes remained closed, but his face lost its troubled look in two seconds flat.

**(A/N: He was sleeping the whole time, he's not awake at all, just mumbling in his sleep)**

How long Rukia sat there watching him sleep...she didn't even know. The world around her seemed quiet, it was dark outside and the moon gracefully filled the room with the majestic light that peaked through the rain clouds.

Suddenly Ichigo jumped up, looking extremely disoriented.

" Uh..." he rubbed his head, looking around the room. He spotted Rukia.

" Rukia..."

" Hey, idiot, how are you feeling?" she asked, concern dripping in her voice.

" Humph, you're the idiot," he replied tiredly. He got up and stumbled out of his room.

_Why do I keep having the same dream- nightmare- over again? Why can't I think straight...medicine...I need medicine...maybe a Tylenol..._

He stumbled down the stairs, almost tripping on the bottom step. His head felt like it would explode.

Rummaging around the cabinet, he brought out the bottle of Tylenol. He took out two pills and a glass of water. He downed them and then slid to the floor. His legs couldn't keep him standing very long. He was far too dizzy.

He faintly heard Rukia walk down the stairs. He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.

" Ichigo..what are you doing on the floor, you really should be in your bed."

" What do you want?"

She exhaled, forgetting her worry. " Can I sit with you? The thunder's scaring me..."

He opened his eye, for the first time he noticed that thunder was shaking the ground, flashes of lightning lit up the room continuously and rain was falling steadily on the roof.

He didn't say anything, and she came and sat beside him.

" You know once in Soul Society, Renji and I got caught in a big storm, but it wasn't nearly as bad as this one."

" You and Renji..." his voice was distant, and almost angry sounding. He tried hard not to speak, but words came out just the same. He was aware of the pitiful state he was in, but he was too dizzy to stop himself from acting like a fool.

" Are you alright?" she asked carefully.

Inoue's description of jealously came flooding back to her, and she smiled. He was jealous, Ichigo, jealous. She decided she would have some fun.

" What's the matter? Is someone jealous?"

Whether it was the fever or not, his cheeks turned a light shade of tinted pink. " Tch, what's there to be jealous about?"

She smiled again. Instead of furthering the argument, one she knew she would win, she leaned back.

She jumped slightly as thunder clapped once again.

She had inched close to Ichigo in the process, closer than she would have liked. She had clung to his arm, but he didn't seem to notice, or care. She let go of him and then took a closer look. His eyes were closed. He was sleeping.

She sighed. Regaining her calm, she leaned back once again, closing her own eyes. It startled her though when she felt Ichigo's arms around her waist, pulling her into his chest.

She blushed, although, she didn't know why. He still had his eyes closed, and he rested his head on her shoulder when she was close enough.

" Where's... my pillow..." he murmured into her shoulder, hugging tighter.

His warm body was soft, and he was, despite his seemingly hard appearance, very cuddly.

She nudged him. " Ichigo?!"

His head jolted up and he looked down at Rukia. " Hm? Rukia? W-what are you doing there...?" _Why is she this close to me? Why...ugh...don't think like this! _

" Uh, well...you...never mind, just let go of me already!"

" Huh..." he looked down to see his own arms wrapped around her waist. His eyes widened and his face went red.

" Ah!" He jumped back as quickly as his sick body would allow, and then looked at the ground.

" Ichigo! You do know that I'm _not_ your pillow! Now, before you do something even more idiotic, go to bed already! What are you doing sitting down here on the floor anyway?!"

" Idiot! I can sit wherever I want!" He turned his head, that is, before getting hit right on the top.

" Ichigo, just hurry up," she reached down and pulled him up by the shirt collar.

She was far too concerned with getting him feeling better than to think about the weird sensation she got when she was close to him. She didn't want him to move away from her, but she wanted him to get better. Sitting on the kitchen floor was obviously not the best remedy. She was such a baby for not doing anything before, all because she was scared of the thunder.

He knocked her hand away. " Tch." Stomping off as best he could, she followed close behind.

He pushed open the door to his room. Darkness covered everything. The moon was no longer visible. Ugly, ominous clouds filled the sky. Rain ran down his window, and the only light illuminating his room was the repetitive lightning. The thunder added to the monstrous effect of the storm.

Hopping in his bed, he pulled the covers over him. Before he closed his eyes, he saw Rukia walk into his room. He smiled.

_-------------------------------------_

" A beach? What the hell am I doing on a beach?" Ichigo looked around. The sky above him was a perfect blue, the waves hit the shore, and then retreated. The water was clear, and there wasn't one noisy seagull or cloud to tarnish the sky.

He looked behind him, and as far as he could see there was only more soft sand. The ocean in front of him went on forever. He couldn't see anything else but sand and water.

He checked his surroundings again. There was no one there, nothing but sand and water. He looked down to see that he wasn't wearing any shoes. His bare feet felt cool in the sand. He decided to walk.

His toes squished in the sand as he took one step after another. He walked closer to the water until his feet sunk in the wet sand. His mind was wandering, running through all the experiences of his life, all the high times, all the low times. His mind stopped dead at one point, then a vivid image of his mother and her grave wound it's way around his thoughts.

He looked up suddenly, broken out of his trance. The waves trashed violently against the shore, which made him stagger back. The once perfect sky was now a gloomy shade of gray, ominous clouds pouring rain. The wind howled and whipped the waves in a flurry, and gusts of sand momentarily blinded him.

If he had been paying attention before, he would have noticed that each thought provoked a different weather. He shielded his eyes with his hand and sat down as chaos unfolded around him.

" What the hell is up with this weather?" he said aloud. He frowned as a tremendous hammer of thunder shook the ground. He was reminded of Rukia, and the way she had been scared of thunder. The way her face reflected a childish fear as thunder wretched her ears. The way she smiled at him, the way she hit him on the head, the way she'd worry, the way she'd draw so horribly...

He shook his head, but the thoughts refused to reside. And, as if in the blink of an eye, the sky changed, the color merged from dark orange to a slight shade of pink. The color reflected beautifully off of the now calm water.

He scratched his head. This reminded him vaguely of a romantic movie Karin had made him watch once. At the end of the movie, the guy chased the girl who was going to leave, and they confessed their undying love and kissed. It was on a sunset beach.

That was how the movie ended, and Ichigo swore never to watch another romantic movie ever again.

He looked at the sight in front of him, genuinely confused. He shrugged, deciding to not even try and understand. He yawned and flopped down onto the sand. He watched the vast sky, entranced by the colors. His mind whirled with thoughts of Rukia, every single tiny detail jumped in his head. He tried to push the thoughts away, but he wasn't able to.

He lay in the sand, contemplating where he could be. Just then the orange sun was blocked out of his view. Someone was looking down at him, at first he couldn't see, whoever it was, their face was covered in shadow.

" Would you move?" he asked agitated.

" Ichigo, stop being so stupid." He recognized the voice. It was hers.

" Rukia?"

She didn't move from her position leaning over him, but he could see her face completely clearly now. She rolled her eyes. He could have sworn she was slowly approaching closer to him.

" Well, duh, who else would it be?"

" What are you doing here-" he was cut off by her small finger on his lips.

He shot her a confused look.

She shook her head.

" Idiot, you're lovesick, you know that, don't you?"

" What? I've got a fever, I'm not-" he was silenced again, this time by her own lips. His eyes were wide at first, but, soon enough he closed them and kissed her back. If it wasn't only a dream, he would have called it the sweetest thing in the world, the most joyous thing in the universe, but then again, he was never one to say or think such things.

_-------------------------------------_

Ichigo slowly opened his eyes, light shone through his window. He rubbed his eyes. _Why do I keep having these damn nightmares...what in sweet Lucifer was that about..I...couldn't have dreamed something like that, _he thought to himself. His head hurt, and he felt cold, but, he noticed that he wasn't as dizzy as he had been before.

He saw Rukia come out of his closet.

" How are you feeling?" she asked.

" I'd feel better if you weren't here," he responded.

She made a threatening fist. " Do you want to try saying that again?"

He pulled the covers over his head. " Idiot...just go away and leave me sleep!"

He heard her close his door. He turned to glance at the door. She wasn't there anymore. He felt relief. After that stupid dream he had...all he wanted to do was...k-kiss...her. Besides the point, it was a good thing she wasn't near him and his mush-reduced brain.

He got out of bed and stretched, only to fall back down, all his former dizziness coming back.

" Ugh..." he murmured. He fell back into his pillow, staring at the ceiling. He heard the door creak open, and he saw Rukia, with a bowl of steaming food in her hands.

" What...?" he was a little surprised she had made something, and brought it for him.

" You need to eat," she said seriously. She set down the bowl of porridge on his desk as he sat up. She turned to him, giving him a demanding look.

" I hate porridge!" he complained. " I'm not eating that junk."

" It's all I knew how to make, and you're eating this whether you like it or not."

" I am _not_ eating that!"

She sighed. She picked up the bowl and spoon and sat next to him on his bed. He pressed his lips together and glared at her.

She moved, until she was closely sitting across from him. Any closer and she would be in his lap. Just as he opened his mouth in protest, she shoved a spoonful of brown-sugar flavored porridge in his mouth. He made a face, but swallowed.

" Good boy," she said grinning, giving him another spoonful. She kept feeding him, sitting closely to him the entire time.

He was a little uncomfortable at the fact that she was sitting so close, feeding him porridge. A thought flashed across his mind. Why _was _she feeding him? And, above all, why was he letting her?

He swallowed another scoop of the porridge. He had a frown planted on his face. This was, possibly the most degrading incident in his entire life. Rukia was spoon feeding him on his bed. The worst part about it was he was he wanted her to stay there forever, and he kept thinking about how much he wanted to kiss her.

He wondered why he was thinking at all. He assured himself that he was delirious, it was the fever. Yeah, that was it. That was why he wanted to kiss her. There couldn't be any other possible excuse.

He suddenly grabbed her wrist, just as she was about to scoop up more porridge.

" I can do this myself," he said, frustrated at himself. He took the spoon and shoved an overflowing amount of porridge into his mouth. He chewed defiantly, trying to distract himself. For some reason her lips looked so...kissable.

Kissable. Since when was that word in his dictionary?

" Well, alright. You don't have to be so grumpy," she said this, somewhat annoyed, although the ghost of a smile resided on her face.

She didn't move from her position on the bed, and Ichigo was becoming agitated.

" What are you still doing there?" he almost yelled, his mouth full of porridge.

" Your mattress is comfortable. Besides, I'm staying here until you finish every last drop of that," she pointed to his bowl, smirking.

He mumbled something as he chewed. As he swallowed, it seemed that a whole bunch of colorful clouds had come into the room. Mostly pink, blue and purple. They swirled around him and Rukia, fast enough to make a little kid motion sick. Inside the clouds there were sparkles, glittering brilliantly in the light.

Ichigo followed this spectacle. His eyes focused on one cloud, which moved slightly slower than the others. Suddenly, a mini-Rukia dressed in a bunny suit came out of the cloud, holding a bowl. She smiled at him. ' Eat up, now!' she mouthed. Ichigo's eyes went wide. He made a slight squeak as he force-swallowed the food in his mouth.

He refocused his eyes, and the clouds disappeared, along with the bunny-Rukia. Instead, he saw the real Rukia, waving her hand in front of his face.

" Hello? Ichigo? I was talking here!" She looked annoyed. He looked at her, dazed for a minute, and then finally snapped out of fit.

" Y-yeah..."

" Yeah? What kind of answer is that? Uh," she rolled her eyes. " You're so stupid. Now, hurry up and eat that damn porridge, I don't want to stay here all day." Well, maybe that last part was a slight lie.

" Hey!" he was quick to respond as her insults registered. He gripped the spoon tighter, glaring at her. She smiled sweetly, sticking her tongue out.

He finished the rest of the porridge and then put the bowl on the floor. He felt cold, so he pulled on the covers just as Rukia was kneeling to get up.

She was caught off guard, leaning her weight forward she was propelled against the force of the pull of sheets. She stuck out her hands as she rammed into his chest, tackling him back so that he was laying down.

He looked up at her, as she regained her bearing, she blinked at him. He watched her face movements, and her lips...

She blinked a couple more times. Her face was blank, and then she looked genuinely pissed off.

" Why the hell did you do that? Ichigo! Ugh! What if I hit my head on a lamp or something!"

She was ranting and raving. That was normal, he knew. But, what wasn't so normal was seeing her rant and rave as she held herself up with arms, staring down at him defiantly, on top of him. Her body was pressed against his, and she didn't seem to notice.

He stared back at her, watching her yell at him. He wasn't really paying any attention to what she was saying though. The world was oddly mute; he did, however make note of the way her nose wrinkled when she yelled. He watched as her expression changed suddenly, and her mouth stopped moving. It just hung open.

For the first time she realized that she was on top of Ichigo. She could feel her heart beat speed up. She could feel her cheeks flush. She made a muffled gawking sound and words tumbled out her mouth.

" S-sorry! I didn't realize...I...I should probably move," she turned her head away from his gaze. She was a little surprised he hadn't thrown her to the ground already, although, she really wasn't complaining.

She couldn't deny it was refreshing to see him so helpless and pathetic. She couldn't deny she loved spending so much alone time with him. But the only thing she tried to deny were her rising feelings. Feelings she thought to be worthless, unwanted and pointless. Feelings she thought were impossible to have for someone.

She sighed silently and made a move to get off of him. She felt a hand on her arm. She whipped her head back as Ichigo pulled her back. His face was calm, and he looked oddly content.

" Ichigo?" she asked, her cheeks flushing once again. " Are you feeling all right?" she feebly felt his forehead. It was burning. Forgetting her position, she let a look of worry escape on her features.

" You've got a really high fever.." She said, bitting her lip. That was the absolute last straw...she just _had_ to bite her lip. He must be going crazy or something. It made sense.

" No, I think I'm just lovesick," he murmured before kissing her.

She felt the blood rush to her face. Her eyes were wide. Her brain was turned to slush. The kind that covers the road when spring starts to take effect after winter. His lips were soft, and his kiss was...mind blowing, to say the least. It was full of hidden passion, she felt heat just radiating from his body...well, that was probably because of the fever.

She felt her eyes close. She felt herself lean into the kiss. His words echoed inside her head. Lovesick. Ha. That was just a little, tad bit ironic.

As she kissed Ichigo, she realized that she liked it. She liked him, possible, even loved him. It was hard to admit something like that...love had never been a big part of her life. But now, she knew, she really knew all along, but now she was finally able to recognize the undeniable, the unpreventable.

She was going to be brave from now on. Sure, she would gladly throw herself in front of a hollow to protect someone, she risked her life all the time but she was still cowardly. She was going to be strong. She was going to offer her heart for the first time in her life.

She melted into his body; she heard him sigh in contentment. His arms wrapped around her, making it so that there wasn't even an inch between them. They broke for air, resting their forehead on each another's. She saw a smile come to his lips, a smile that was so rare and endangered. A smile only for her.

" Ichigo..." she really was in a state of blissful shock. " You are...going to get me sick."

His smile broadened. " I guess I'll be the one spoon feeding you porridge then," he said before closing the gap between their lips once again.

_-------------------------------------_

Surprisingly, Rukia didn't get sick. She made sure to drink plenty of water, she took vitamins and ate a lot of fruit after the incident in Ichigo's room. This was all before she brought his fever down and let him sleep.

She had a smile on for the rest of the day, prancing around the house while he slept. She had, considered that the weird state he was in was a result of his sickness, but she knew Ichigo had at least some amount of self-control even when he was sick.

She was now walking upstairs, she went straight to his room. Opening the door quietly, she stepped inside. She opened the closet door, intending to go to bed, when she heard Ichigo. He was sprawled out on his bed, mumbling. She couldn't make out the words, so she moved closer. She was at his bedside looking down at him.

His face was calm and peaceful. She smiled down at him. She was startled though, when his eyes flew open.

" Hey there, Rukia!" he said, sitting up slightly.

" Ichigo! You scared me half to death!"

" Oh, so I didn't kill you all the way? What a shame," he said in a playful mocking tone.

She stared at him. "You did not just make that stupid joke? Please, that was pathetic." She slapped him across the head.

" Hey! What was that for?"

" For being an idiot."

" Humph," he scowled.

She sat down at the edge of his bed.

" You know, I like Chappy bunnies."

" I knew that already, Rukia."

She revealed the Chappy plush bunny in her hand.

" I haven't named this one yet, but I think I'll call him Strawberry."

He frowned. " That's a stupid name..."

" Well, it's your name too, you know."

" No! Haven't I already told you my name means-"

" Yeah, yeah, I know. Just shut up."

" I would prefer if you did the same," he responded.

They fell silent. Rukia sat on the edge of his bed, and he leaned back, staring at the ceiling in the darkness. He remembered kissing her and smiled softly.

He tapped his hand on the side of the mattress, pounding out a beat. The sound filled the room.

" Would you stop that? I hate it when you do that!"

He didn't stop and still looked at the ceiling. " Uh-huh...yeah, I love ya too." After the words came out of his mouth, the beat stopped. His whole body froze. Great, he just had to say it.

He stayed absolutely still, heat rising to his cheeks. He felt he was living up to his title of idiot that Rukia so blandly made a point of stating all the time.

" What did you say?"

She didn't hear him? That was good. " Nothing."

She shook her head, a smile playing at her lips. " You know Ichigo, you should get lovesick more often."

* * *

_This was so damn long! I apologize if it was too cheesy or OOC. Anyway, I had fun with this. Tell me what ya thought! _

_Love: Kyla45 _


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